What do you think?
Rate this book
Great Falls, MT: Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again
Comedian and musician Reggie Watts shares his story of growing up in Montana as a biracial oddball struggling to navigate life, girls, drugs, and his own identity in America's heartland--and having a blast doing it.
Reggie Watts is weird. But you knew that. Anyone who's seen his multifaceted, entirely improvised comedy and music shows knows that. Reggie Watts is also from the town of Great Falls, MT.
These two facts are not unrelated.
Watts grew up in Montana in the '80s, half French, half American, half white, half Black, speaking a bunch of different languages and slipping between the orchestra geeks and the football jocks until he finally found a squad of fellow misfits with an affinity for trouble. It was a wide-open time and place that invited freedom and exploration--as well as car theft and the not infrequent use of recreational cough syrup. And it helped him become the uniquely strange creative voice he is today.
In Great Falls, MT, Watts takes us through his story, hitting on the culture shock he experienced after moving from Europe to the heart of America, where he was called racial slurs by neighbors but wasn't Black enough for his father's extended family. Where he fought with his authoritarian dad, built a new family of antiestablishment, post-punk oddballs--and ultimately knew he had to leave. But after Watts's career exploded in Seattle and New York, ultimately scoring him a nightly place next to James Corden on The Late Late Show, he found himself drawn back to his hometown after the deaths of his parents. This is his love letter to the town that made him. But like love itself, it's messy and complicated and dirty and beautiful--and as weird and wonderful as Watts himself.
Reggie Watts is weird. But you knew that. Anyone who's seen his multifaceted, entirely improvised comedy and music shows knows that. Reggie Watts is also from the town of Great Falls, MT.
These two facts are not unrelated.
Watts grew up in Montana in the '80s, half French, half American, half white, half Black, speaking a bunch of different languages and slipping between the orchestra geeks and the football jocks until he finally found a squad of fellow misfits with an affinity for trouble. It was a wide-open time and place that invited freedom and exploration--as well as car theft and the not infrequent use of recreational cough syrup. And it helped him become the uniquely strange creative voice he is today.
In Great Falls, MT, Watts takes us through his story, hitting on the culture shock he experienced after moving from Europe to the heart of America, where he was called racial slurs by neighbors but wasn't Black enough for his father's extended family. Where he fought with his authoritarian dad, built a new family of antiestablishment, post-punk oddballs--and ultimately knew he had to leave. But after Watts's career exploded in Seattle and New York, ultimately scoring him a nightly place next to James Corden on The Late Late Show, he found himself drawn back to his hometown after the deaths of his parents. This is his love letter to the town that made him. But like love itself, it's messy and complicated and dirty and beautiful--and as weird and wonderful as Watts himself.
357 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2023
76 people are currently reading
2400 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
November 21, 2023
Fun, strange, wonderful, heartfelt memoir.
Not gonna lie, outta nowhere I cried at the end.
Was not expecting that.
Also, I live in Great Falls, my wife went to the same high school as Reggie (a few years behind) so this book really hits in a special way. If you have a chance to see him live, I highly recommend it.
Not gonna lie, outta nowhere I cried at the end.
Was not expecting that.
Also, I live in Great Falls, my wife went to the same high school as Reggie (a few years behind) so this book really hits in a special way. If you have a chance to see him live, I highly recommend it.
November 16, 2023
Well, maybe a 3.5 if we're being honest, but I was the Leo-watching-TV meme while reading, being from Great Falls, so let's round up. As silly as stars are sometimes.
This is definitely a love letter to the environment in which he grew up, and his assessment of Great Falls feels fairly true (I regret to inform you that the libertarian label is not inaccurate... but mostly people just don't want to be told what to do), but I'm sure my view is colored by being familiar with so many of the people and places he specifically names. I too squabbled with Miss Lydiard (her name is misspelled in the book) because I was a good player (cello) who didn't want to try too hard, and she hated that. I've met his old friends Wally and Joel, and Joel is the guy who took over from Piano Pat (May she RIP!) at the Sip n Dip, and he's one of the nicest people I know. And I've run into Reggie himself a few times over the years, and he's always been very pleasant to anyone who gives him a nod or says hello. I'm roughly a decade younger than him, so we weren't at GFH at the same time, but yes, it was amusing to be like "Oh shit, that choir teacher DID WHAT?!!!"
So your mileage may vary on how much you get out of this, whether you're just a curious Great Falls resident, a loyal fan of his comedy, or someone who saw the cover and said "Looks weird, I'm in." It's definitely not a bad read, and it's easy to see why his comedy tries so many different things. I would not say I'm a super-fan, but I really respect anyone who gets out there to see what sticks while also satisfying their artistic desires. And Reggie's a much better local celebrity than Ryan Leaf ever was.
This is definitely a love letter to the environment in which he grew up, and his assessment of Great Falls feels fairly true (I regret to inform you that the libertarian label is not inaccurate... but mostly people just don't want to be told what to do), but I'm sure my view is colored by being familiar with so many of the people and places he specifically names. I too squabbled with Miss Lydiard (her name is misspelled in the book) because I was a good player (cello) who didn't want to try too hard, and she hated that. I've met his old friends Wally and Joel, and Joel is the guy who took over from Piano Pat (May she RIP!) at the Sip n Dip, and he's one of the nicest people I know. And I've run into Reggie himself a few times over the years, and he's always been very pleasant to anyone who gives him a nod or says hello. I'm roughly a decade younger than him, so we weren't at GFH at the same time, but yes, it was amusing to be like "Oh shit, that choir teacher DID WHAT?!!!"
So your mileage may vary on how much you get out of this, whether you're just a curious Great Falls resident, a loyal fan of his comedy, or someone who saw the cover and said "Looks weird, I'm in." It's definitely not a bad read, and it's easy to see why his comedy tries so many different things. I would not say I'm a super-fan, but I really respect anyone who gets out there to see what sticks while also satisfying their artistic desires. And Reggie's a much better local celebrity than Ryan Leaf ever was.
November 9, 2023
Intriguing and underwhelming at the same time. I picked up this book having never heard of Reggie Watts but simply because I lived in Great Falls for three months and thought it was a fascinating place.
This book is titled and marketed in a way that makes you think it’s about Great Falls and, more than that, it’s a “love letter to the town.” I did not get that. This read as a YA book (think Absolutely True Diary if a Part-Time Indian), a diary, and a long conversation. It was repetitive, with many people and events being described over and over using the same phrases, and much of the writing felt like summaries of events and eras in his life. Also, I wanted to be open-minded about his constant fascination with women, but I was put-off by it! I rarely felt immersed, but I was always curious and kept reading.
Unfortunately, my curiosities were not answered, but perhaps I was seeking something impossible to explain. I wanted to know *why* Reggie Watts loved Great Falls, what his experience of the city was, and why he always wants to return. I found no answers aside from the fact that it’s where he experienced his coming of age, and so, of course, it is his home. (Also it’s libertarian and allowed him to do whatever and be whoever, which he said multiple times.)
Overall, from his writing style and his fun and silly interjections and side-thoughts, I got a much better sense of who Reggie is as a person, musician, and performer than I did a deeper understanding of this Montana town, which the book is literally named for and which I, too, have written about with nostalgia and fascination.
When I finished reading, I felt like I had learned nothing additionally special about Great Falls and that perhaps it just happens that Reggie and I both experienced life-changing events while living there.
This book is titled and marketed in a way that makes you think it’s about Great Falls and, more than that, it’s a “love letter to the town.” I did not get that. This read as a YA book (think Absolutely True Diary if a Part-Time Indian), a diary, and a long conversation. It was repetitive, with many people and events being described over and over using the same phrases, and much of the writing felt like summaries of events and eras in his life. Also, I wanted to be open-minded about his constant fascination with women, but I was put-off by it! I rarely felt immersed, but I was always curious and kept reading.
Unfortunately, my curiosities were not answered, but perhaps I was seeking something impossible to explain. I wanted to know *why* Reggie Watts loved Great Falls, what his experience of the city was, and why he always wants to return. I found no answers aside from the fact that it’s where he experienced his coming of age, and so, of course, it is his home. (Also it’s libertarian and allowed him to do whatever and be whoever, which he said multiple times.)
Overall, from his writing style and his fun and silly interjections and side-thoughts, I got a much better sense of who Reggie is as a person, musician, and performer than I did a deeper understanding of this Montana town, which the book is literally named for and which I, too, have written about with nostalgia and fascination.
When I finished reading, I felt like I had learned nothing additionally special about Great Falls and that perhaps it just happens that Reggie and I both experienced life-changing events while living there.
November 13, 2023
As a fan of Reggie Watts, I was more than stoked to pick his memoir up. I thought that it would be more of getting to know Great Falls as a sort of character in Reggie's life, but that was not the case. I think that this memoir was very disjointed most of the time, and I felt like I was getting a lot and also almost no information at the same time. You are washed with the names of tons of bands that Watts was apart of, but never of what truly inspired him, or how the town itself had an effect on him. I did like all the snippets of his relationship with his parents (close with his mom, strained with his father), but I feel like I almost didn't get enough of that. I wanted more exploration of Reggie's art and his inspirations and start in comedy, or why the town meant so much to him.
Definitely was not my favorite memoir, but I think that fans of Reggie should give it a try to see what you think.
Definitely was not my favorite memoir, but I think that fans of Reggie should give it a try to see what you think.
December 27, 2023
It was a bit funny. Interesting to read about Reggie’s upbringing and how he got to where he is.
I don’t think books should have QR codes in them. I understand that it’s hard to take his musical comedy and improv and put it onto a page, but the QR codes I need to scan in the middle of a section really interrupt the flow of reading.
I don’t think books should have QR codes in them. I understand that it’s hard to take his musical comedy and improv and put it onto a page, but the QR codes I need to scan in the middle of a section really interrupt the flow of reading.
March 20, 2023
Being a long-time fan of Watt's wide-ranging talents, I was over the moon to see his memoir coming this fall!
The read is keenly poised, well illustrating how and why his experiences fostered his expansive creativity. It's also a love letter to the town and state he moved to at a young age, Great Falls MT.
I'm excited for new and loyal fans alike to see behind the curtain, appreciating persistent themes of racial and social inequities, familial disconnection, and seeking one's core identity and place within it all.
It's well described as, 'like love itself, it’s messy and complicated and dirty and beautiful'.
Galley borrowed from the publisher.
The read is keenly poised, well illustrating how and why his experiences fostered his expansive creativity. It's also a love letter to the town and state he moved to at a young age, Great Falls MT.
I'm excited for new and loyal fans alike to see behind the curtain, appreciating persistent themes of racial and social inequities, familial disconnection, and seeking one's core identity and place within it all.
It's well described as, 'like love itself, it’s messy and complicated and dirty and beautiful'.
Galley borrowed from the publisher.
December 15, 2023
Great counterbalance to Kasher in the Rye. Positive and romantic, quirky and self-aware on a meta level. I want to be Reggie Watts when I grow young.
January 5, 2024
I wanted to love this, but the pacing of it is just way too arrhythmic for me. Watts is obviously a charmer but I feel like memoirs should read easier than this. DNF-ing at 23%.
December 6, 2023
I picked up this book completely because of the title; Great Falls, Montana is where I spent my junior and senior years of high school (though I went to CMR, the other high school in town). The name Reggie Watts was vaguely familiar to me; I knew of him, but wasn't familiar with his music and/or comedy.
His story is an interesting one; his father was a Black man from Cleveland and his mother was a redheaded French woman. They got married and moved around Europe before moving to and settling in Great Falls with young Reggie. Reggie uses a mix of accents and personalities to make friends, always trying to find ways into various groups of people--he sees himself as the weird kid, and uses it to his advantage throughout his life. He spends time in high school trying out different activities--football, student council, drama. He's musical throughout his childhood, playing piano and violin. He feels like an outsider, but manages to find some really good, close friends.
All of that said, I don't know that I enjoyed the book. Watts's writing seems to fit his personality; it's a bit all over the place, with a lot of randomness and digressions and self-awareness that at times I found endearing and at times I grew tired of. I have a hard time with people who are all, "I'm Weird!" and that's their personality, and he embraces that aspect of himself. He and the people who worked on the book play with fonts and include QR codes (which was a really neat) and sometimes the weird typography works and sometimes...it didn't. For me.
At one point in his childhood (or maybe multiple times; who knows?), Watts visits his father's family in Cleveland and struggles with not feeling Black enough. This is where he realizes he's good at beat-boxing, which is cool, but that's about all we find out about his time there. Every now and then Watts would make a comment about race or feeling different; I really wanted him to explore that more. I did appreciate his reflection from adulthood on some of his less-legal activities as a teen (and as an adult!).
Watts portrays Great Falls as a special place, but doesn't do much to back that up. What's special, really, are the friendships he made and relationships he had with his parents. Sure, some of it is vaguely place-specific, but doesn't seem like it would necessarily be different if he had grown up elsewhere. He would probably still have found a group of people to bond with. He mentions a few times that Montana is libertarian and people don't really care what others do, but I have to say that I encountered a negative attitude and a lot of judgment there that he didn't seem to. Which is cool for him! But after reading it, it really just comes across that Watts likes Great Falls because that's where he grew up. It's home. And that's valid! Having moved a few times during my childhood and adolescence, I don't have that feeling that one certain place is special to me. I have many places that I'm affectionate about, but I can also see the downsides. I am fascinated by people who do have those feelings, though, and am definitely jealous.
Still, an interesting read. I'd really only recommend to people who are already fans of Watts, though.
His story is an interesting one; his father was a Black man from Cleveland and his mother was a redheaded French woman. They got married and moved around Europe before moving to and settling in Great Falls with young Reggie. Reggie uses a mix of accents and personalities to make friends, always trying to find ways into various groups of people--he sees himself as the weird kid, and uses it to his advantage throughout his life. He spends time in high school trying out different activities--football, student council, drama. He's musical throughout his childhood, playing piano and violin. He feels like an outsider, but manages to find some really good, close friends.
All of that said, I don't know that I enjoyed the book. Watts's writing seems to fit his personality; it's a bit all over the place, with a lot of randomness and digressions and self-awareness that at times I found endearing and at times I grew tired of. I have a hard time with people who are all, "I'm Weird!" and that's their personality, and he embraces that aspect of himself. He and the people who worked on the book play with fonts and include QR codes (which was a really neat) and sometimes the weird typography works and sometimes...it didn't. For me.
At one point in his childhood (or maybe multiple times; who knows?), Watts visits his father's family in Cleveland and struggles with not feeling Black enough. This is where he realizes he's good at beat-boxing, which is cool, but that's about all we find out about his time there. Every now and then Watts would make a comment about race or feeling different; I really wanted him to explore that more. I did appreciate his reflection from adulthood on some of his less-legal activities as a teen (and as an adult!).
Watts portrays Great Falls as a special place, but doesn't do much to back that up. What's special, really, are the friendships he made and relationships he had with his parents. Sure, some of it is vaguely place-specific, but doesn't seem like it would necessarily be different if he had grown up elsewhere. He would probably still have found a group of people to bond with. He mentions a few times that Montana is libertarian and people don't really care what others do, but I have to say that I encountered a negative attitude and a lot of judgment there that he didn't seem to. Which is cool for him! But after reading it, it really just comes across that Watts likes Great Falls because that's where he grew up. It's home. And that's valid! Having moved a few times during my childhood and adolescence, I don't have that feeling that one certain place is special to me. I have many places that I'm affectionate about, but I can also see the downsides. I am fascinated by people who do have those feelings, though, and am definitely jealous.
Still, an interesting read. I'd really only recommend to people who are already fans of Watts, though.
January 28, 2025
Highly recommend!
There are particularly honest descriptions of growing up aware of his racial differences. His honesty and willingness to be vulnerable are rare. These passages reminded me of Margo Jefferson's book, "Negroland," which similarly lets the reader observe those private moments on the playground, when the author realizes they're being treated differently, and it hurts, and there's no one you can turn to for help as you navigate the experience.
But the racial narrative is just one thread in the overall story. An even greater achievement is that Watts describes his interior experience as he recognizes, develops, and finally begins to assert his unique and staggering genius. He takes us with him as he begins at a young age to use his talent to get attention, to define his personality, and also from some deep-seated need to express his nascent creativity. Eventually he reaches a place in Seattle where people are drawn to him and he has a ready audience, but still he has to make the decision to assume this mantle.
Finally, I appreciated the subtle ways in which he structures this narrative so that it ends up in the last sections as a moving and sincere tribute to his mother.
There are particularly honest descriptions of growing up aware of his racial differences. His honesty and willingness to be vulnerable are rare. These passages reminded me of Margo Jefferson's book, "Negroland," which similarly lets the reader observe those private moments on the playground, when the author realizes they're being treated differently, and it hurts, and there's no one you can turn to for help as you navigate the experience.
But the racial narrative is just one thread in the overall story. An even greater achievement is that Watts describes his interior experience as he recognizes, develops, and finally begins to assert his unique and staggering genius. He takes us with him as he begins at a young age to use his talent to get attention, to define his personality, and also from some deep-seated need to express his nascent creativity. Eventually he reaches a place in Seattle where people are drawn to him and he has a ready audience, but still he has to make the decision to assume this mantle.
Finally, I appreciated the subtle ways in which he structures this narrative so that it ends up in the last sections as a moving and sincere tribute to his mother.
March 6, 2025
I knew this book might not be up my alley but since it was called Great Falls, MT I wanted to read it. I have no idea who Reggie Watts is but his origin story is interesting with a military father and a French mother that end up settling in Great Falls, MT. Once he hits junior high and high school it’s all about drugs and crime, both petty and serious. I skimmed the last half.
August 23, 2024
I have loved Reggie's comedy since I saw him open for Conan's tour. He is truly an original. It does not surprise me that his writing was funny, original, and beautiful. A perfectly composed coming of age tale that could only be written by Reggie.
October 30, 2023
Totally cried at the end.
November 19, 2023
It was hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. Such an incredible look into Reggie's life and process.
February 12, 2024
A bit of a slow start but ended up enjoying this!! Loved hearing about Reggie’s connection with Seattle!
May 9, 2024
my spouse is a big comedy-bang-bang fan so anything we can read together.... we will!!
Not mad about it being really interesting as well. I liked I had to slow down the speed so I could actually listen to the music bits he added in.
Not mad about it being really interesting as well. I liked I had to slow down the speed so I could actually listen to the music bits he added in.
May 15, 2024
Reggie is great 👍
June 23, 2024
Love his comedy, loved his memoir. I definitely recommend the audio book cuz he narrates it and has some recordings of his music and other fun stuff
June 25, 2024
A very open, honest and insightful memoir. A great read for former misfits and music lovers.
October 4, 2024
Audiobook.
Not what I was looking for.
Not what I was looking for.
May 12, 2025
An amusing and fun audiobook but not sure I would have liked it as much if I had just read the physical book.
March 28, 2025
10/10 recommend but specifically on audio, wouldn’t hit the same as words on a page!
April 12, 2025
incredibly written and performed and produced (probably also nice to read but the music and performed interstitials added so much!) —
top notch autobiography audio book that felt as a whole like a window into reggie watts and his life.
lots of fun, and the end made me cry.
top notch autobiography audio book that felt as a whole like a window into reggie watts and his life.
lots of fun, and the end made me cry.
October 24, 2023
I wept. I chortled. I annoyed my family by talking non-stop about Great Fall, MT for a week. I fell even more in love with Reggie Watts.
Guys, this is so much more than a memoir. This book reads how Reggie does anything (If you don’t know, look him up… especially his Ted talk) He delights, dives deep, shocks, dances around, reaches out and touches the realest parts of humanity. Oh, he also sings. This book is nothing short of genius.
Although I will be buying the hardcover to frontface on my bookshelf (a more-mature attempt at a tiger beat poster), I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. The audio component weaves his melange of experimental sound in with his stories. It’s stunning.
Beyond being a touching immersion into an artists’ life, this is a deeply inspirational collection of thoughts and ideas, all while smashing the general rules of “writing a memoir.” (Hello, breaking the 4th wall) It’s inspiring for me to witness a creative soul blast out in all directions without feeling the need to contain themselves into picking a lane.
Whether you get the e-book, paperback or audiobook, you are actually investing in a permission slip to find your own wholly creative path in life. (Hopefully you can skip the part where you steal a few cars)
I’m very grateful to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!
Guys, this is so much more than a memoir. This book reads how Reggie does anything (If you don’t know, look him up… especially his Ted talk) He delights, dives deep, shocks, dances around, reaches out and touches the realest parts of humanity. Oh, he also sings. This book is nothing short of genius.
Although I will be buying the hardcover to frontface on my bookshelf (a more-mature attempt at a tiger beat poster), I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. The audio component weaves his melange of experimental sound in with his stories. It’s stunning.
Beyond being a touching immersion into an artists’ life, this is a deeply inspirational collection of thoughts and ideas, all while smashing the general rules of “writing a memoir.” (Hello, breaking the 4th wall) It’s inspiring for me to witness a creative soul blast out in all directions without feeling the need to contain themselves into picking a lane.
Whether you get the e-book, paperback or audiobook, you are actually investing in a permission slip to find your own wholly creative path in life. (Hopefully you can skip the part where you steal a few cars)
I’m very grateful to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!
December 27, 2023
“Especially authority for the sheer sake of authority. Power for the sake of power. Rules for the sake of rules. Those are the bad kind. Those drive me nuts.”
3.5 rating rounded down slightly
Felt mostly like reading his journal, while interesting at points, overall wasn’t the most exciting read. Fun to get an inside look into his head and getting to read the reasons for his fun wild mix of personalities type of show, but overall just okay.
3.5 rating rounded down slightly
Felt mostly like reading his journal, while interesting at points, overall wasn’t the most exciting read. Fun to get an inside look into his head and getting to read the reasons for his fun wild mix of personalities type of show, but overall just okay.
January 30, 2024
I really loved this memoir. It felt intimate and fun, and it is such an insight into the genius of Reggie Watts!
February 16, 2024
a solid story about a unique person. definitely interesting and heartfelt. it felt very relatable in a lot of ways.
November 14, 2023
I had never heard of Reggie Watts before this book. I was attracted to the title, having grown up in MT as well. It wasn't exactly what I expected or hoped for, but Reggie has a new fan of his off-beat musi-comedy artistry.
Reggie's life to this point has been unique and fun to read about. He's a decent writer.
I wasn't a fan of his clever asides and mini chapters that went off topic, but I was curious enough to keep reading cuz I wanted to know how he and his friends "turned out". I loved reading about his friend group that became his family tribe, after years of his experimentation with different cliques and types of kids in his search to find himself. Chapter 14 cracked me up when he described what happened when he tried to hang out with the black kids who lived next door to his Dad's family in Cleveland. His French mom sounded wonderful if a bit too permissive with Reg and his antics.
I was skeptical that I would like his work, until he listed the music his friends had listened to, alt stuff that I also like back in that era. So I was pretty curious. He said often, "people liked what I was doing . . ." but I wondered if I would. Luckily, this book has QR codes so I could easily sample his stuff! Haven't seen that in a book before. It worked.
Now the part where the book fell short for me. There was not much about what was unique about Great Falls or MT, except that it's libertarian. My family still live there and I would never have classified the politics that way. Was Great Falls different because of the Air Force base which brought diversity to the state, people that normally would not have lived there? Or is it the native Montanans who are unique in comparison to the rest of the country? I thought the title was not really a good indicator of the subject matter.
Reggie's life to this point has been unique and fun to read about. He's a decent writer.
I wasn't a fan of his clever asides and mini chapters that went off topic, but I was curious enough to keep reading cuz I wanted to know how he and his friends "turned out". I loved reading about his friend group that became his family tribe, after years of his experimentation with different cliques and types of kids in his search to find himself. Chapter 14 cracked me up when he described what happened when he tried to hang out with the black kids who lived next door to his Dad's family in Cleveland. His French mom sounded wonderful if a bit too permissive with Reg and his antics.
I was skeptical that I would like his work, until he listed the music his friends had listened to, alt stuff that I also like back in that era. So I was pretty curious. He said often, "people liked what I was doing . . ." but I wondered if I would. Luckily, this book has QR codes so I could easily sample his stuff! Haven't seen that in a book before. It worked.
Now the part where the book fell short for me. There was not much about what was unique about Great Falls or MT, except that it's libertarian. My family still live there and I would never have classified the politics that way. Was Great Falls different because of the Air Force base which brought diversity to the state, people that normally would not have lived there? Or is it the native Montanans who are unique in comparison to the rest of the country? I thought the title was not really a good indicator of the subject matter.
January 12, 2024
Reggie Watts was born in Europe. His dad was an African American serviceman and his mom was a red headed French woman. When Reggie was five his dad was transferred to Great Falls, Montana so the family of three moved there and even at his young age, Reggie felt the culture shock at moving into an almost all white community in the middle of Montana. This memoir is mostly about growing up in Great Falls, Watts graduated from Great Falls High School and then moved to Seattle. The memoir is not just about growing up biracial in an almost all white community. It recounts his life ranging from trying out for football, impressing teachers with his musical aptitude, turning off teachers with his rebelliousness and truancy, his dabbling with drugs, well more than dabbling, and his friendships with various misfits in Great Falls. Watts is also honest about the challenges in his relationship with his dad, his love for his mom and the complicated but loving relationship between his parents.
This is not a conventionally written memoir. There are many digressions, many oddly written paragraphs, many almost verbal conversations with the reader, but it is readable even to a conventional writer like myself.
The memoir loses steam and interest after Watts leaves Great Falls for Seattle and beyond, but is still a worthwhile read
This is not a conventionally written memoir. There are many digressions, many oddly written paragraphs, many almost verbal conversations with the reader, but it is readable even to a conventional writer like myself.
The memoir loses steam and interest after Watts leaves Great Falls for Seattle and beyond, but is still a worthwhile read
June 3, 2024
I've always felt a strange cosmic connection to Reggie so I put a hold on this book at my local library the minute it was available. I first saw Reggie by accident when he came out to sing a Beatles cover with Soulive in Buffalo, NY and it changed my life: I wanted to become a musician. I was completely blown away. Then, being a young fan of alternative comedy, I found out via a Comedy Central "up next" type special that he was actually a British comedian (he did the whole show in an accent, how amazing is that?). Then when I started getting into improv, I heard his tones introducing each episode of Comedy Bang Bang. Then my Dad died around the same time as he posted about his Mom on Instagram and I felt a sort of parasocial grieving.
So yeah instead of a review, that's just a summary of why Im a fan of Reggie Watts..
Needless to say, this book added even more to my pseudo-connection to Reggie Watts. If you are me and have a cosmic connection with Reggie Watts while being a musician who decides to do improv or stand-up instead for months/years on a whim, you'll enjoy this book. I also think any weirdo, outsider kid of the 70s/80s/90s will relate to this.
I'd love to have Reggie's Michael Ian Black moment with Reggie himself.
So yeah instead of a review, that's just a summary of why Im a fan of Reggie Watts..
Needless to say, this book added even more to my pseudo-connection to Reggie Watts. If you are me and have a cosmic connection with Reggie Watts while being a musician who decides to do improv or stand-up instead for months/years on a whim, you'll enjoy this book. I also think any weirdo, outsider kid of the 70s/80s/90s will relate to this.
I'd love to have Reggie's Michael Ian Black moment with Reggie himself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews